Rhodie Infantry Fighting Vehicle
The Rhodie Infantry Fighting Vehicle is a Zokesian IFV which has served through the entire existence of Zokesia. Born from a Mechani IFV's hull, the Rhodie has fought in nearly every major conflict across Kerbin and has been exported to dozens of nations where it serves as effectively as it did back at home. Mk I Origins The Rhodie was not a new design, nor was it even factory built. The first "Rhodies" were built from MU K-IFV Block II armored personnel carriers, which were designed to ferry troops into battle. These vehicles sported nothing more than a 30mm anti-infantry gun, and lacked sufficient armor penetration capability. The Zokesians, on the eve of fighting a battle toughened Sovie army, knew they couldn't supply the ammo to supply such high rate of fire, nor would the small gun be able to effectively combat armor at range. The turret was therefore removed, and in its stead a small hand-cranked armor box with a 105mm howitzer installed, which was loaded by a single loader-gunner, four TOW missiles in a quad launcher at the back, and a 30mm chain gun on the roof for personal protection, giving the Rhodie firepower to take on infantry and burst through armor in a close-support brawling role. In the battle surrounding Zok that followed, the vehicle proved itself more than capable, suffering lower losses than the Tigris MBTs that were given to Zokesia by Mechani, despite being used at twice the volume. The Rhodies also charged into battle flanking the opponents with their speed and decisively turned the battle in Zokesia's favor. Mk VII Upgrade In 2062, following the lessons learned in the war with Vanadia, it was desired that a more effective turret bet fitted to enable the Rhodie to increase its firepower's arc of fire. The 105mm was replaced with a smaller 90mm Eland turret, the same as on the HVHL Badger, and the suspension was strengthened to accommodate higher speeds. This variant saw service in the Delras Conflict and was noted for being the first to amphibiously land on another continent. Jet engines were also fitted to the rear of the vehicle to climb hills and acheive top speed faster. Rhodie Mk VIIs were phased out in 2067, but the hull was a smooth enough ride to find use in other places, most notably as an Anti Air Platform, where the large size gave it considerable space for electronics and missile launch platforms. Some even were used as Armored Recovery Vehicles and a special few Tank Destroyers, with 140mm antitank guns fitted into the hull. Mk IX Up untill 2066, the Rhodie Mk I and VII were still being built on K-IFV Block II hulls bought from Mechani. Early 2065, Zokesian Ordinance Corp. began working on a ground-up rebuild of the Rhodie, using what was learned in the Delras War and soon-to-kick-off Horde War, and the result was an up-armored Rhodie IX designed to take more punishment and fight at higher speed than previous models. The double layer of armor and protected equipment bays provided a tough skin for the vehicle, while the single jet engine created an efficient but advanced maneuvering speed of 40 m/s on flat ground. to top it off, the advanced hull was able to take the T-90 MBT turret, increasing the Rhodie's firepower to rival that of a tank. The Mk IX quickly surpassed other armor and became the leading export tank of Zokesia, second in number produced only to the Honey Badger, which was half the price per unit. Two AGM-114 Antitank Missiles were attached to the turret, providing fast firing support to bolster the gun's fire rate. The vehicle remains deisreable to many nations fifteen years after its creation, and is produced in-house by Zokesia, Halco, Amber, Cloweish, Medwedia, Surnay, and Krome. Modern improvements to the Mk IX Include the Mod 95, which Redacted Gallery Category:Land Craft